Higgins, a native of New Orleans, has been a member of the Marines since 1990, joining as a Second Lieutenant in the Reconnaissance and Intelligence Group at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He was deployed as a member of the 24th MEU to support Operation Restore Hope in Somalia shortly thereafter. He now is in command of the Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division where he continues his career in Marine Corps intelligence operations.

Throughout his career, Higgins has been deployed seven times to Somalia, Bosnia, Iraq (three tours) and Afghanistan (two tours). Higgins returned home in June from a one-year deployment to Kabul, Afghanistan, where he served as the senior intelligence officer for Combined Forces Special Operations Command.

Higgins has earned several awards during his long career, including a Bronze Star with one gold star and the Combat Action Ribbon. In 2002, he was chosen as the Marine Corps Intelligence Officer of the year and received the Marine Corps award for intelligence writing in 2007.

Higgins has a master’s degree in business administration from George Mason University and a master’s degree in military strategy from the Air War College. His wife, Elizabeth, is a native of Green Bay, Wis. and together they have one daughter, Casey (13), and three sons, Jimmy (12), Connor (9), and Cooper (7).

Higgins attended the game with his wife and sons, Jimmy and Connor.

Operation Fan Mail, which debuted in 2007, is designed to recognize families with a member who is on active duty. The Packers and WPS Health Insurance will host a family at each 2012 home game and recognize them on the field during pregame activities. A total of 55 families have been recognized with the program.

To choose families, the Packers and WPS Health Insurance are asking interested families, or friends of eligible families, to submit an essay, 500 words or less, on why a particular fan should be saluted. Essays can be sent to: Operation Fan Mail, P.O. Box 10628, Green Bay, WI, 54307-0628. Essays also can be submitted to the Packers online by clicking here.

Families intended for recognition are those that have a member serving on active duty. The family member can be a spouse, mother, father, son, daughter or sibling.

In addition to being recognized on-field prior to the game, selected families will receive four tickets to the game and a care package from WPS.